tip – Tillamook Communityhttps://www.tillamook.com/community/blog
TillamookTue, 27 Jun 2017 16:47:48 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8How to prevent ice cream freezer burnhttps://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/prevent-ice-cream-freezer-burn/
https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/prevent-ice-cream-freezer-burn/#commentsFri, 19 Dec 2014 17:30:03 +0000http://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/?p=19687There’s nothing more disappointing than popping the top off an ice cream carton and staring at a pile of sharp icy crystals. Freezer burn is a pain, but unless you’re able to finish off an entire container in one sitting, is often tricky to avoid. So how does freezer burn happen? Ice crystals are incorporated […]

]]>There’s nothing more disappointing than popping the top off an ice cream carton and staring at a pile of sharp icy crystals. Freezer burn is a pain, but unless you’re able to finish off an entire container in one sitting, is often tricky to avoid.

So how does freezer burn happen? Ice crystals are incorporated into ice cream when it freezes during the ice cream making process. When the temperature of ice cream increases, water crystallizes on top of the ice crystals, which leads to large ice crystals. In order to minimize freezer burn, you must keep the ice cream as consistently cold as possible.

Here are some tips to help you minimize freezer burn and make sure every bite of your Tillamook Ice Cream is as delicious as the first!

• Store ice cream in the very back of the freezer to minimize exposure to warmer air when you open and close the freezer door.

• Don’t leave ice cream out of the freezer longer than necessary. Warm up your scooping arm and ready your bowls ahead of time for a more efficient scooping routine.

• Check the temperature of your freezer. Ice cream should be stored at or below 0°F.

• Use plastic wrap to minimize development of ice crystals. Press the wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream inside the carton, and then cover with the carton lid and return to the freezer.

• Eat the entire carton in one sitting (bowls optional).

Do you have any other tricks that you’ve tried? We’d love to hear what’s worked for you!

]]>https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/prevent-ice-cream-freezer-burn/feed/2When to Plant Your Gardenhttps://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/plant-garden/
https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/plant-garden/#respondFri, 18 Apr 2014 17:00:14 +0000http://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/?p=17519It’s so rewarding to eat fruits and vegetables from your own garden. It doesn’t get better than picking them and adding them straight to the dish you’re making (or straight into your mouth!). One of the largest challenges of a garden is getting the plants into the ground at the appropriate time. Too early, they […]

]]>It’s so rewarding to eat fruits and vegetables from your own garden. It doesn’t get better than picking them and adding them straight to the dish you’re making (or straight into your mouth!). One of the largest challenges of a garden is getting the plants into the ground at the appropriate time. Too early, they may face a freeze, and too late, they may not have proper time to mature. If you put your all into your garden like me, you don’t want to face either of these outcomes. Here’s a quick guide to help you know when to get different plants into the ground in the Willamette Valley.

April
As early as April you can be putting seeds for arugula, beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cilantro, lettuce, and spinach straight into the ground outdoors. These seeds can make it past some of the cool weather still to come.

MayWith the exception of broccoli, cauliflower, and cilantro, all the seeds from April can still be planted in the ground. However, it’s also time to put some starts in the ground. My mother always advises to wait until after Mother’s Day for planting starts, and that’s worked well for me so far! For starts, it’s time to get basil, beans, cucumbers, onions, peppers, squash, and tomatoes in the ground. Although keep in mind that peppers and tomatoes may need to be covered, especially if the weather cools down at all.

June
If you prefer seeding, June is a good time for arugula, basil, beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, corn, lettuce, melons, and Swiss chard.

Good luck with your gardens this summer, and I hope you have some amazing meals with your homegrown crops! If you need more tips, my favorite place get help is Portland Nursery in Portland, OR. They have great resources at their local shops and online.

]]>https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/plant-garden/feed/0Tillamook Cheesy Bread: Cooking with Kidshttps://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/tillamook-cheesy-bread-cooking-with-kids/
https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/tillamook-cheesy-bread-cooking-with-kids/#commentsMon, 25 Nov 2013 18:30:55 +0000http://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/?p=14471A great way to cook with kids is to make snacks. My kids always are looking for snacks. Kids love cheesy bread. It makes a great snack or could be a garlicky side for pasta meal. It’s also an easy way to get the kids helping out with cooking dinner. We make a very simple […]

5. Put the bread under the broiler for 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and started to brown.

6. Slice and serve.

A delicious snack could not be easier. The kids have a great time choosing their favorite Tillamook Cheese and spreading it around. The hardest part is stopping the kids from eating all the cheese before it’s on the bread!

]]>https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/tillamook-cheesy-bread-cooking-with-kids/feed/3Tillamook Cheese and 34º Crisps Pairing Guidehttps://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/tillamook-cheese-and-34o-crisps-pairing-guide/
https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/tillamook-cheese-and-34o-crisps-pairing-guide/#respondFri, 15 Nov 2013 18:00:23 +0000http://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/?p=14411We’ve recently fallen in love with the taste of 34º Crisps with our cheese! With a mission to make the best crackers to enjoy with cheese, our friends at 34º Crisps are knocking it out of the park. These baked wafer-thin crackers are crispy and lightly flavored, making them the perfect complement to the creamy flavors […]

]]>We’ve recently fallen in love with the taste of 34º Crisps with our cheese! With a mission to make the best crackers to enjoy with cheese, our friends at 34º Crisps are knocking it out of the park. These baked wafer-thin crackers are crispy and lightly flavored, making them the perfect complement to the creamy flavors of Tillamook Cheese.

After much experimenting, we’ve come up with four delicious pairings that are perfect for any family gathering, festive soirée, or late night cravings this winter.

Tillamook Garlic White Cheddar and Rosemary 34º CrispsRosemary and garlic are frequent flavor friends. If you’ve ever tried this garlicky cheese, you know it’s a strong flavor. The piney lemony flavor of rosemary is the strongest (in our opinion) of the 34 º Crisps flavors and pairs great with the strong garlic flavor of the cheddar.

Helpful Hints:

– These cheeses will taste best at room temperature, so take them out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving
– Order your cheeses for guests from most subtle to strongest
– Find 34º Crisps close to home here

Enjoy your cheese and crackers, and stop by to say hello to our friends at 34º on Facebook!

]]>https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/tillamook-cheese-and-34o-crisps-pairing-guide/feed/0Fall Comfort Food: Tomato Soup and a Cheesy Bagelhttps://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/fall-comfort-food-tomato-soup-and-a-cheesy-bagel/
https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/fall-comfort-food-tomato-soup-and-a-cheesy-bagel/#respondWed, 16 Oct 2013 16:30:46 +0000http://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/?p=14194Do the chilly fall days have you down? I know, I miss summer too! Here’s a tasty way I like to warm up to this drizzly autumn weather. I’m a huge fan of Pacific Foods Creamy Tomato with a toasted cheesy Franz bagel. What’s your favorite fall comfort food!?! Share with me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

]]>https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/fall-comfort-food-tomato-soup-and-a-cheesy-bagel/feed/0Scoops to Soup: Melting Times of Ice Creamhttps://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/scoops-to-soup-melting-times-of-ice-cream/
https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/scoops-to-soup-melting-times-of-ice-cream/#commentsThu, 18 Jul 2013 16:30:09 +0000http://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/?p=13579Have you ever scooped yourself a bowl of ice cream and then got distracted? Maybe you took a phone call, went to help your child with school work or, like me, got so involved in the current iPad game addiction of the month (currently Candy Crush Saga and Minion Rush) that you lost track of […]

Have you ever scooped yourself a bowl of ice cream and then got distracted? Maybe you took a phone call, went to help your child with school work or, like me, got so involved in the current iPad game addiction of the month (currently Candy Crush Saga and Minion Rush) that you lost track of time? One more game, just one more… Then you remember – My ice cream! Wait, who are we kidding, if we’re scooping a bowl of creamy, tasty Tillamook Ice Cream, it’s surely not going to sit around unattended. It’s going to be eaten. If it even gets into the bowl, that is. Well don’t you worry. After my very non-scientific testing, I can tell you exactly how long you can forget about your ice cream (or savor it) before it melts into soup.

Yes, I sacrificed Tillamook ice cream. But it was for the greater good!

Here’s the set-up. On Tuesday, I stopped by the Tillamook Cheese Factory and purchased Oregon Strawberry, Tillamook Mudslide and Vanilla Bean. Three very classic flavors. After making some room in my freezer (I really didn’t need those green beans and hotdog buns anyway), the ice cream sat all day in the freezer, making sure it was nice and frozen, until Wednesday night. Test night. My house was a comfortable 72 degrees. The sun was coming around to the west and shining in the windows, but it wasn’t reaching all the way to the table. So I needn’t worry about the sun speeding up the process. I scooped one 2-ounce scoop of each flavor into individual bowls. I set my timer and the camera and let the games begin.

Taking the lead was Tillamook Mudslide. It took a little longer for the Oregon Strawberry to show signs of melting. And Vanilla Bean was in the middle. At 90 minutes, each scoop was soup.

My very unscientific findings: Ice cream melts. The amount of time will depend on the variety of ice cream, amount in the bowl and, of course, the temperature of the environment. But in theory, you have a solid 30 minutes before finding soup in your bowl. Even at 45 minutes there was still a small portion of each scoop remaining, enough for a small bite or two. But let’s be realistic, if you leave a bowl of Tillamook Ice Cream sitting unattended for whatever reason, it’s likely going to be eaten by someone else in the house before you get back to it. End result, eat your ice cream quickly, but not so quickly that you get brain freeze.

At the end of my test I was sad to see the melted ice cream drip down the drain. I promptly consoled myself with a bowl of Tillamook Mudslide, making sure I finished it off before the ice cream had a chance to melt.

]]>https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/scoops-to-soup-melting-times-of-ice-cream/feed/2Serving up Tillamook Ice Cream!https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/serving-up-tillamook-ice-cream/
https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/serving-up-tillamook-ice-cream/#respondWed, 03 Jul 2013 16:30:28 +0000http://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/?p=13483“I am having a party and plan to serve Tillamook Ice Cream, how much ice cream will I need?” It’s a real conundrum, how do you make sure to have enough ice cream to feed everyone, but not so much that you end up with 6 full cartons in your freezer when the party is […]

]]>“I am having a party and plan to serve Tillamook Ice Cream, how much ice cream will I need?”

It’s a real conundrum, how do you make sure to have enough ice cream to feed everyone, but not so much that you end up with 6 full cartons in your freezer when the party is over (not like that would be a bad thing)?

We get this question all the time, so we came up with a quick calculation that should help! A standard ice cream scoop is about 4oz, so with one 1.75qt container you should be able to serve (approximately) 14 (4oz) scoops. Keep in mind every scooper scoops differently, so if your ice cream scooper is liberal with their scoops, you will want to account for that!

I generally allow two scoops per person, so with the 4oz calculation from above, that would be 7 ice cream beneficiaries per carton, however, I am one of those liberal scoopers I was mentioning above, so to play it safe I estimate about 6 ice cream beneficiaries per carton.

Keep in mind, the above calculation doesn’t account for cake or pie being served! If you’re going to be serving other sweet treats with your Tillamook Ice Cream, I would scale back and only serve one scoop per person, making the number of scoops per carton go up to 12 (remember, play it safe and assume you are going to over serve a few of those scoops!).

In summary:Ice Cream Only: 6 servings per carton.
Ice Cream served with other sweet treats: 12 servings per carton.

Now go get scooping! Share your summer ice cream party photos with us on Facebook!

]]>https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/serving-up-tillamook-ice-cream/feed/0How to make your own Grilled Cheese Presshttps://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/how-to-make-your-own-grilled-cheese-press/
https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/how-to-make-your-own-grilled-cheese-press/#respondFri, 19 Apr 2013 16:30:24 +0000http://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/?p=12796In honor of National Grilled Cheese Month, I’ve been cooking up a lot of delicious sandwiches! It’s always a challenge to get the perfect grilled cheesy texture, so I thought I’d look to the Tillamook Kitchen Quick Tips for some help. There’s a tip from Dave Danhi, of The Grilled Cheese Truck that suggests making a sandwich […]

]]>In honor of National Grilled Cheese Month, I’ve been cooking up a lot of delicious sandwiches! It’s always a challenge to get the perfect grilled cheesy texture, so I thought I’d look to the Tillamook Kitchen Quick Tips for some help. There’s a tip from Dave Danhi, of The Grilled Cheese Truck that suggests making a sandwich press by wrapping a brick or some tiles in foil. I used a small marble rectangular trivet I had laying around the house, wrapped it in foil, and got cookin!

This tip worked great! My grilled cheese came out perfectly melted, pressed, and crisp (but not burnt!) If you’re looking to make some delicious grilled cheese, but don’t want to invest in a fancy press, I highly suggest using this tip to make your own!

]]>https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/how-to-make-your-own-grilled-cheese-press/feed/0Can You Eat Tillamook Cheese During Pregnancy?https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/can-you-eat-tillamook-cheese-during-pregnancy/
https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/can-you-eat-tillamook-cheese-during-pregnancy/#commentsTue, 09 Aug 2011 15:00:23 +0000http://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/?p=3039Tillamook Cheese is safe to eat during pregnancy We’re often asked if it’s safe to eat Tillamook Cheese during pregnancy. The answer is yes! Tillamook Cheese is safe for mamas-to-be (and their little “Baby Loaf” in the oven!). And boy am I happy about this… in just a few weeks I’ll be meeting my baby for […]

We’re often asked if it’s safe to eat Tillamook Cheese during pregnancy. The answer is yes! Tillamook Cheese is safe for mamas-to-be (and their little “Baby Loaf” in the oven!). And boy am I happy about this… in just a few weeks I’ll be meeting my baby for the very first time. Both he and I have been craving Tillamook Cheese (and ice cream!) during these past 9 months!

There are certain soft cheeses that should be avoided during pregnancy (ask your doctor). Many pregnant women are concerned that eating cheese will result in infection caused by the microorganism Listeria monocytogenes, which is uncontrolled in cheeses made with raw milk. Tillamook Cheese isn’t made with raw milk, and both pasteurization and the heat-shock process destroy this microorganism.

So to all the upcoming mamas out there: you can keep enjoying Tillamook Cheese during pregnancy!

]]>https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/can-you-eat-tillamook-cheese-during-pregnancy/feed/45Put Some Cheese on Your Burger!https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/put-some-cheese-on-your-burger/
https://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/put-some-cheese-on-your-burger/#commentsMon, 16 May 2011 15:00:01 +0000http://www.tillamook.com/community/blog/?p=2210May is National Hamburger Month. It’s exciting to finally fire up the grill again for a hamburger, but do you know what will make it even better? Adding a slice of cheese, of course! Okay, okay, I may be a little biased… but a burger with Tillamook cheese is always delicious! Personally, I like a cheese […]

]]>May is National Hamburger Month. It’s exciting to finally fire up the grill again for a hamburger, but do you know what will make it even better? Adding a slice of cheese, of course! Okay, okay, I may be a little biased… but a burger with Tillamook cheese is always delicious!

Personally, I like a cheese that’s going to stand out when combined with all the other flavors of a burger, so my top cheese picks for burgers are Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Hot Habanero Jack Cheese (warning: it’s pretty spicy!).

If you’re anything like me and have a special connection with food that you think is cute, Medium Cheddar Mini Slices will help you make the most of May. These little square cheese slices make the perfect little sliders (also a cute food!).

Let the celebration of National Hamburger (with the addition of sliced cheese) Month begin!